Hoarding crashes in Mumbai kill one, injure 5

Mumbai, June 12 (IANS) A senior citizen was killed and three women were injured in hoarding crashes as flight, rail and road traffic was affected by pre-monsoon showers that lashed Mumbai, on Wednesday, officials said.

An Air India flight AI-678 from Delhi to Mumbai was diverted this afternoon to Ahmedabad owing to inclement weather conditions.

Some other flights were delayed by an average of around 20 minutes owing to strong winds at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, an official said.

Five big and small aluminium-cement panels, uprooted by gusty winds, crashed from the upper floors of the Churchgate station building on 3 pedestrians, the BMC Disaster Control said.

The incident occurred around 12.45 p.m. when the heavy hoarding suddenly collapsed on the pedestrian, who was identified as Madhukar Appa Narvekar, 62.

He was rushed to the G.T. Hospital near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharashtra Terminus where he succumbed.

Two others sustained minor injuries and they left the spot soon afterwards, and the Western Railway said the deceased would be entitled to compensation as per norms.

In the second incident, an acrylic hoarding was blown off a skywalk and crashed on three pedestrians in Bandra West around 1.30 pm.

Three women – Tejal Kadam, 27, Malisa Nazareth, 30 and Sulakshana Vaze, 41, were injured. They were rushed to Holy Family Hospital treatment and their condition was described as stable by officials.

Western Railway, Central Railway and its Harbour Line services were running late by 10-20 minutes hitting millions of office-goers rushing to their homes from various locations in the city.

There were instances of minor waterlogging in some parts of the suburbs, around 75 incidents of a major and minor tree collapses on a vehicle in Borivali, and traffic snarls on the two highways, main and arterial roads in the city.

AOver the past three days, owing to cyclonic conditions building up in the Arabian Sea, Mumbai and surroundings witnessed pre-monsoon thunderstorms that have claimed at least six lives so far.

Intermittent showers or bouts of heavy rains since morning – average around 43 mm – helped cool the city appreciably, with the minimum temperatures hovering at 24 C, compared to average of 35 C in the past few weeks.

The Cyclone Vayu is expected to pass around 250 km in the Arabian Sea, heading towards the Gujarat coast which has created stormy conditions on the entire Maharashtra coastal, Konkan region and popular beaches in Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Raigad, Mumbai, Thane and Palghar.

The Indian Coast Guard, State Disaster Management, Mumbai Police and BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation and other agencies have warned people against venturing near beaches or promenades which are lashed by strong tidal waves, posing safety hazards.